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The Morning Show - with Jill Riley

Coffee Break: How to fight loneliness... with music

by Jill Riley

May 18, 2023

Close-up of black and white people joining their hands in the human chain organized 28 April 2007 in front of the Louvre Museum in Paris.
Close-up of black and white people joining their hands in the human chain organized 28 April 2007 in front of the Louvre Museum in Paris.Photo by OLIVIER LABAN-MATTEI/AFP via Getty Images

Dr. Vivek Murthy, the U.S. Surgeon General, recently released an 85-page advisory declaring loneliness a new public health epidemic in the United States.

When we’re thinking about how to fight loneliness, there are those songs that connect us and bring us together. Let’s listen to some music that rallies us and reminds us that we’re all in this together.

For today’s 9:30 Coffee Break, which songs that help us feel less alone and inspire connection should we play?


Respond with your song ideas in the comments below.

Have an idea for a Coffee Break topic? Submit your idea for a future theme and browse past Coffee Breaks in our archive.

Songs Played:

Michael Franti and Spearhead - Say Hey (I Love You)
The Four Tops - Reach Out I'll Be There
Mavis Staples - You Are Not Alone
Wilco - How to Fight Loneliness
Bob Marley and the Wailers - One Love, People Get Ready
Cloud Cult - Good Friend
Bill Withers - Lean On Me



Coffee Break: How to fight loneliness... with music